Variations on a Theme by Schumann – Nisan Dikeçligil

Pianist: Dilay Can Develi

Journey of Sound – Young Composers Festival 15

Premiered on April 28, 2024
Türkan Saylan Cultural Center

Program Note:
Inspired by the fourth movement of Robert Schumann’s Rhenish Symphony, I wanted to bring this music to life once again. While the theme, marked “Feierlich” (Solemnly), occasionally retains its original gravity throughout the variations, it also takes on optimistic, playful, and at times chaotic colors.
In parallel to Schumann’s own fate—having composed the symphony out of love for the Rhine River, only to later attempt to end his life in its waters—the shifting characters of the variations reflect the turbulent and unpredictable nature of life itself.